


come back often and take hold of me

by emilia_kaisa



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Character Study, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28485024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilia_kaisa/pseuds/emilia_kaisa
Summary: "Can I join?" Jun asks and Vincent nods, smiling slightly."Sure, come to Germany with me." he says and Jun makes a funny confused face before sitting down next to Vincent."Germany?""Because in Germany I can drink." Vincent explains, raising his drink and Jun chuckles, taking a small sip from his own glass.
Relationships: Jun Hwan Cha/Vincent Zhou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	come back often and take hold of me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Junliet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junliet/gifts).



> A gift to lovely Junliet who planted an idea of this ship in my head. Honestly, this is the most fun I had writing during the last couple of months and I'm felling very happy right now :D  
> Like stated in the tags, it's more of a pre-relationship fic; I guess it was kind of a journey of me figuring this ship out, but I had so much fun I think some other works will follow.
> 
> Also, a part of this fic is happening in 2020 so the pandemic is implied but it's nothing too heavy. And also just a hint of underage drinking.

**(February 2019)**

There's something about Exogenesis that always calms Vincent down. His breathing slows and everything else goes away, and somehow he feels like he's at his homerink, just by himself, just him and music filling his ears. It feels easy, like skating in a dream, and suddenly the music stops and he lets out a deep exhale and it catches up to him, the crowd's loud cheers and the fact that he has just skated a pretty damn good program.

He smiles and waves, and slight fatigue catches up to him only when he sits down in kiss and cry, but his blood is still circling fast with adrenaline and excitement. The score is good, really good, and Vincent nods, pleased with the result. He has no idea how the competitors before him did, and he decides not to think about it, focusing on the fact that he did a good job.

There’s only two skaters left so Vincent knows that he’s going to be at the press conference, since he’s currently in the first place. He walks to the locker room, the place busy and crowded with guys changing from their competition outfits into regular clothes. Vincent would love a proper shower, but when he walks into a washing room all cubicles are taken, and he's not sure if he has the time anyway, so he only washes his face in a bathroom sink and double checks in the mirror if he looks decently.

Back in the changing room, he fishes his phone out of his locker to text his mom and has a short chat with Nam before somoene knocks loudly on the door and one of the media volounteers sticks his head inside, smiling apologetically yet urgently.

"Vincent Zhou and Jun-hwan Cha? Press conference starts in a couple of minutes, please head there as soon as possible."

Vincent nods and grabs his bottle to take a sip, and looks around to look for Jun, glad they are sharing top spots after the short. He finds him soon, frantically trying to comb his hair with his fingers, and he nods at him, smiling.

Jun brightens up and comes closer, smiling widely, clearly really excited.

"Hi, we're going?" he half asks, half offers, and Vincent nods, standing up and following him out of the door and in the corridor.

"That's really cool." Vincent says and Jun's smile even widens, delight shining in his eyes.

"Yes! I have new personal best." he says proudly and Vincent is honestly happy for him. They've been competing against each other for years, first in juniors, and now they're here, in one of the biggest competitions in the skating world, seniors and being on top of the game.

When they walk into the press room they find out who the skater in third place is, since Boyang is already there, having a hushed conversation with his translator. Vincent and Jun exchange one more smile before they sit down on their spots, ready to answer questions and enjoy the moment when they can be all so proud of themselves.

  
  


Vincent clutches the medal in his hand and smiles, trying not to blink against the blinding lights of the arena. It's quite overwhelming, but he's feeling proud of himself. He didn't manage to defend his first place after the short, but he fought hard and earned himself a bronze.

When they finally leave the ice after a long photoshoot, his chest still feels like filled with bubbles, tickling him with joy. The backstage isn't as crowded as the day before, most of the people left already. The changing room is also mostly empty, and Vincent carefully places his bouquet on a bench next to his locker and then greabs his towel and wash bag, and heads to the showers. He doesn't take long, not wanting to miss the shuttle back to the hotel. He hums quietly as he combs his wet hair in front of the mirror before he walks back to the room and gasps with surprise when he sees Jun sittin at his spot, doing something weird with a plastic bottle.

"Uh, hi!" Jun exclaims when Vincent walks closer, his face a little flushed "Congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Vincent smiles. He doesn't know what Jun's final result is, but since he hasn't been on the podium, he suspects it wasn't what Jun hah hoped for, and his heart fills with compassion, because he knows the feeling so well.

Not sure what to say, he looks down and sees that Jun's holding a plastic bottle in one hand while the other one carries a tiny scissors, and it seems that Jun has been trying to cut the top of the bottle off. Vincent blinks with confusion and looks up at Jun, who's smile is now a little bashful but still so incredibly nice.

"I thought, I don't want the flowers to die." he explains, pointing at Vincent's bouquet "So I wanted to make a vase."

"Oh." Vincent sighs with surprise "That's so nice of you, thanks!"

"I will go fill with water." Jun says, standing up and heading to the washroom. While he's gone, Vincent puts the rest of his clothes on and just finishes trying his shoes when Jun is back, proudly carrying the flowers, now in their little plastic vase.

"Here." he says, handing it to Vincent, who smiles widely.

He appreciates it so much, little acts of kindness like that, and he believes that they should be returned.

"That's for you." he says, passing the flowers back to Jun, and the boy blinks rapidly in confusion before brightening up like a star.

"Thank you!" he laughs, clutching the flowers against his chest "Thank you so much."

Vincent nods, glad that Jun is smiling. Maybe he's not the most touchy-feely guy himself, but it just feels right, to bring joy not only to people cheering on him, but also even some of his competitors.

* * *

**(March 2020)**

Vincent is glad that his legs are hidden under the table so no one can see his feet tapping on the floor. He's happy and excited, and a bit overwhelmed. It's still catching up to him, that he actually won a medal, a world's medal, and he reaches discreetly to the right pocket of his jacket, feeling the cool surface under his fingertips.

Then he glances on his right, looking at Nate and Yuzuru, and he shakes his head. Honestly, how is it real? Sharing a podium with two such great skaters feels like a prize itself, years of hard training paying off, and it makes all the hardships worth it, all the pain and bruises not important anymore.

He's feeling a little awkward when they ask him to express his feelings, but he can't stop smiling, and it's finally settling in, that he's a medalist of world championships. He puts the microphone down and takes a couple of sips from his water battle, his throat a bit dry with all the emotions. He manages to stop his foot from tapping and he sits still, focusing and hoping to look ready and professional.

The conference continues, question coming after question and none of them is directed at him, and Vincent shifts in his chair a little nervously. He feels the need to clear his throat again, but that would be too awkward, so he drinks some water again, even though his stomach suddenly turns into a tight knot.

He curls his fingers on his thighs and thinks that for one of the highest moments of his life, he's feeling terribly invisible.

Vincent is pretty sure he's commiting a crime, but he's also pretty sure he will get away with it. And well, people are mostly ready to turn a blind eye during banquets and let the younger guys have some drink or a glass of watered down wine. And well, in Europe Vincent would be perfectly fine to drink, he decides to pretend that the corner he's sitting in is a part of Germany.

The air is pulsing with music coming from the ballroom, and Vincent bops his head to the rhythm slightly. Some people would probably call him grumpy or antisocial for ditching the party, but he doesn't really care. He had his share of fun with friends earlier, but then it became a bit too much for him and he decided to take a break with a glass of sweet plum wine in his hand.

"Everything okay?"

Vincent flinches and looks up, realizing he hasn't noticed Jun coming closer, but suddenly he's standing right in front of him, looking down at him with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Vincent nods quickly "It was just a little too noisy for me." he explains and Jun hums before tilting his head a little in a way that reminds Vincent of a bird.

"Can I join?" he asks and Vincent nods, smiling slightly.

"Sure, come to Germany with me." he says and Jun makes a funny confused face before sitting down next to Vincent.

"Germany?"

"Because in Germany I can drink." Vincent explains, raising his drink and Jun chuckles, taking a small sip from his own glass.

"To Germany!" he makes a toast and Vincent laughs before taking a sip. The wine is sweet and not too strong, and judging by the colour of liquid in Jun's glass, he's drinking the same.

They sit in silence for a moment, but it isn't awkward, and Vincent wonders which topic for conversation to choose. He doesn't want to talk about the competition, aware that Jun's result was far from perfect, and he doesn't want to touch his own complicated feelings.

"You want to see something funny?" Jun asks all of the sudden and Vincent nods.

"Sure!"

Jun grins and moves closer, his arm pressing against Vincent's, and he takes his phone out. Something funny turns out to be a hilarious cat video that has Vincent snorting so hard he ends up with some wine in his nose, but he doesn't mind in the slightest.

"This is hilarious, how do you even find these things?"

"I have a magic power." Jun laughs, clearly delighted that Vincent is having fun with him "I can send you some."

"Yeah, sure!" Vincent says, taking his own phone out and quickly exchanging contacts.

"Cool!" Jun smiles brightly before standing up, letting out a little grunt "I'm hungry." he chuckles a little awkwardly and Vincent looks at him for a second before standing up as well.

"Food sounds like a good idea." he says and Jun nods, and they both head to the ballroom, plotting a plan to snatch some snacks from the Canadians.

* * *

**(January 2020)**

Vincent exhales deeply, his breath a white puff in the freezing air. He shifts his weight from one leg to another and then jumps up a little, hoping to warm his legs up. Toronto is freezing in January, but Vincent decides he likes it anyway, or maybe he's just trying to convince himself that he has made the right decision.

Because he can't allow himself to doubt, and he has to only look ahead, to nationals, to the rest of the season. He has sacrificed so much for the sport and now it's not the time to second guess that?

"Seriously, where's that freaking bus?" he mutters, getting quite angry at the public transportation, but then the sound of his name makes him gasp.

"Vincent?"

He spins around and looks at a lanky figure in a thick winter coat and red hat with a pompom and a matching scarf, and it takes him a second to realize it's Jun.

"Oh, Jun, hi!" he exlaims and Jun hums, tugging at his scarf so his face is properly visible now.

"Hi!" he smiles widely. "We finally meet!"

They exhanged a couple of messages when Vincent moved to Toronto a few weeks before, but they were both too busy to plan some meet up, and well, it wasn't like they were close. But it's nice to see Jun, so Vincent just has to smile back, suddenly the cold not bothering him as much as before.

"Yeah." he nods, adding "My bus is late." he explains and Jun tilts his head, and Vincent thinks he reminds him of a bullfinch.

"Would you like to get tea?" Jun offers and Vincent blinks, surprised with the offer, but then he smiles, nodding without giving it a second thought.

"I would love to."

Vincent sighs quietly, cupping his tea mug and enjoying the warmth seeping into his cold hands. Jun led him to a cosy coffee shop just a few minutes away from the bus stop they met up, and now is sitting in front of Vincent with the biggest cup of hot chocolate Vincent has ever seen.

"So do you like Toronto?" Jun asks and Vincent shrugs, chewing on his bottom lip before answering.

"It's cool, but still so new."

He doesn't add that he really can't find himself here yet. He doesn't say that he misses Colorado and his old coaches, that he misses his friends and mountains and fresh, crispy air at five in the morning.

"When I moved here, I was very confused." Jun nods, smiling kindly "But now, it's almost home."

"That's nice." Vincent smiles, even though his heart tugs urgently, as if trying to make him remember something "So, you head out for nationals soon?"

"It happened already." Jun laughs and Vincent feels his face burning with embarssment.

"Ugh, I'm so-"

"It's fine." Jun reassures him with a kind smile "So much is happening."

"Yeah."

"But you have your nationals soon?"

"Yes, in a week." Vincent says, feeling his stomach twisting. With only one competiton done this season and such a hectic training schedule, he feels a bit anxious about upcoming US nationals. He's trying his best, but he's not sure if he'll be able to get a result he could be happy with, and the anxiety is making his throat clench.

"Hey, you're okay?" Jun asks with worry and Vincent clears his throat awkwardly.

"Yeah." he says, and he doesn't plan on adding anything else, but then the words are out of his mouth before he can think of it "But sometimes I'm so done with being only Nate's rival."

He bites his tongue so hard it hurts, and he's horrified with what he just said. It doesn't matter that it's true, and that sometimes he feels like the media mention him only to highlight how great Nate is. But he keeps these things to himself, and his face and neck are burning with shame he let himself slip.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No." Jun shakes his head, his smile kind and gentle "It's okay. I understand."

Vincent would say something, but proper words don't want to come, so he just looks at Jun, who's still smiling, like he understands him perfectly.

"For some people, I am still only Yuzuru Hanyu's training partner." he says "But I am more. And you are more too."

Vincent's lips part in a quiet gasp and he must look ridiculous, but he doesn't care. And suddenly, the knot in his chest eases a bit, and he smiles back. Because Jun's words remind him that he is more indeed, and that there are people around him who believe him and support him, people who smile at him like Jun does right now, with kindness and understanding, and a soft smile on his lips.

"Yeah." Vincent says, raising his mug to click it gently against Jun's cup "We are."

* * *

  
  


**(October 2020)**

It's a little bit lonely, sitting in his room in Las Vegas hotel, unable to hang out with any of his friends. Vincent doesn't usually have a problem with being on his own, but it just feels odd.

He's a little tired but not exhausted, and if it was a normal year, he would be probably grabbing dinner with his friends and not eating instant ramen, looking through the window at the city that never sleeps, blinking with countless colorful lights.

He feels good about his performance today, imperfect but still good, and most importantly, skated from the heart. It always feels so right, skating to a piece of music that seems to be singing inside him, and that's the case about his short program, and he's just grateful to have that opportunity.

His phone buzzes nect to him and Vincent reaches for it, and smiles when among other notifications he sees a message from Jun. They have been in quite regular contact since January and Vincent is glad about it. Jun is fun and sweet and almost always capable of fixing Vincent's bad mood.

 **Jun:** I watched the competiton!!!

 **Jun:** your program is really pretty ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

 **Vincent:** thank you!!!! When can I watch yours?

 **Jun:** Idk yet (¬_¬)

Vincent smiles to himself, always amused with Jun's funny emojis, and he sighs deeply. He wishes for things to be different, so they could meet in person and hang out, and talk, because texting is fun, but there's nothing as great as a real meeting. Vincent wants to grab a tea together, to talk, to see Jun's bright smile.

He wants a lot of things, honestly. There are dreams he already knows he's never going to fulfill, but there are others, maybe not as grand but equally important.

 **Vincent:** I can't wait to see you

 **Jun:** me too (✿◠‿◠)

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
